His grace is enough…

I love the lyrics to the song “Your Grace is Enough”…especially the beginning…

Great is Your faithfulness, O God
You wrestle with the sinner’s restless heart
You lead us by still waters into mercy
And nothing can keep us apart.

So, remember Your people,
Remember Your children,
Remember Your promise, O God.

Your grace is enough.
Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough for me

This morning in the worship service at our church I was taken back as I listened to the testimonies of several new believers before they were baptized…

First–an 18 year old girl who had struggled with identity after having a learning disorder. She had struggled through school. Struggled with self confidence. And finally–she met her Savior. His grace was enough for her.

She shared about her life growing up as an only child–and then finally becoming content with who she was in CHRIST. He is enough.

Then she shared about a radical change in her family’s life. Her parents adopted 3 children out of foster care–who were refugees from across the world. Their birthmother suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and relinquished her rights as she entered an institution and was unable to care for them. This 18 year old girl–then struggled through family changes…no longer being the only child and having 3 brothers enter her home who were struggling with their own changes and grief. The Lord worked in her heart–and taught her to give more than she had ever known possible…and as she followed Him–He led her to love more than she ever thought possible. HIS GRACE was enough.

Her father baptized her…and the tears fell down my cheeks. And then as she stepped out of the water…her father remained in the water—to baptize now one of the three sons who had now found Jesus.

He shared about being a refugee. His eleven year old voice so strong, yet quite–he had already lived a hundred years in his life time. He shared about losing his family and entering the foster care system here in the U.S. He shared about being ALONE–although he had two brothers by his side. He shared what was once his fear…and how darkness seemed to follow one thing after the other. Ant then…

a family…

A family came forward to adopt not only him–but his other brothers as well. A family who had just one older princess who was beginning her walk with her King. He shared about seeing Christ through his new family…he now had parents, a sister, aunts and uncles and grandparents—WHO LOVED HIM. And then…He accepted Christ. His grace was enough.

Just before his father baptized him, he looked at him and told him that God’s grace covers him. And then he was baptized in believer’s baptism and raised to new life with Him. And my shoulders couldn’t stop moving as I weeped for joy. THIS! This is why we grow.

To hear this boy say, “I praise Him because I am not only adopted here on Earth–but now I am also adopted by God forever as His child!”

THIS IS IT!

Oh that OUR children would know Him…that we would NOT get caught up in the busy culture of our world…that we would sit before Christ and bring our children with us. If we choose to grow our families for any other reason besides THIS…then what is it for??? His grace alone.

We can get side-tracked by others–by comparing ourselves to others–by worrying about the next thing. We can stress out about our children with learning disabilities–will they catch up…will they be accepted…when in reality–just like this 18 year old girl who had academic struggles to overcome…really–that has no value in eternity. She let the world push her down for a time–and then she met Jesus! His grace is enough!!! How we spend time with your children, the way we educate them, the things we surround them with should be LESS about keeping up with the world and instead EVERYTHING about what shines more of Christ into their lives…so that ONE DAY–Lord willing–they too see that His grace is enough for them.

Oh that we would keep our eyes on Christ–and live out our days to walk more closely with Him…that we’d be okay with letting dust settle here and there in our homes so that we might instead focus on having clean, pure hearts and motives…that we’d make decisions based on eternity instead of this world.

His grace is enough…for you and for me. May you rest in His grace this blessed Sabbath.

xoxo,

Andrea